Land, Ho!

And so the saying goes, all good things come to an end...a delicious cup of coffee, a captivating book, an amazing summer in Belgium. Although the cessation is sad, an endless cup of coffee would not provide the drinker with the enjoyment it does when it comes to an end, and he is left to expectantly wait for the next morning's beverage. Reading an endless book (besides being boring and monotonous) would steal from the reader the opportunity to explore other writings.

Likewise, staying here in Brussels would keep me from being elsewhere.

My departure from the Petries is just about 36 hours away. It is weird to think that I won't be here anymore, serving them, sharing life with them. It has been an incredible time. I cannot recount how much I have learned from them, nor how much I have enjoyed them. I aspire to imitate their outlook on life and their pursuit of the Father. The other day, Paul said to someone who was in a hard situation, "If you can, maintain an attitude of gratitude and peace." That is exactly how they live - grateful, and at peace, even though circumstances many times do not encourage such a disposition. I could write a book on different things they have said that have been quite revolutionary for me - many times just passing comments.

Last night, they planned a dinner for me, as they do for all departing caregivers. Special china, food, drink, presents, kind words. It was a wonderful night together. Psalm 21:6 says, "For you make [the king] most blessed forever" or "You make him a source of blessing forever." I have often wondered at the interchangeableness of the terms 'being blessed' and being a 'source of blessing.' I think, however, I am starting to grasp the incredible gift of being a blessing. The Lord has definitely enabled me and strengthened me to serve during this time, and I think through His grace, they were blessed.

The sadness of leaving is magnified because of how indefinite the next time I will see Rebecca is. We have built quite a friendship. Though at the same time, I am excited. The time has come, and it will be good. I look forward to seeing and being with everyone there I have missed so much. This will probably be the last blog because I will cease to be in an exciting, overseas setting...although waffles, wine, and wamblings in my life will probably continue.

Striving and Thriving

Oh, what a tangled web I weave...in my mind when I don't blog for a month, and then try to recall all that has happened...

The past month has been so very busy. There has been much activity here at the Petrie house-- guests by the droves, extensive house reconstruction, and now preparation for a trip to England. Some of Paul and Rebecca's friends have made it possible for them to spend a week on the southern coast of England in a handicapped-friendly cottage. They extended the invitation to me to come and continue to help with Rebecca's care. I am grateful for this opportunity to spend time with Petries, see a little bit of the UK, and rest, hopefully.

Since my last posting, I've made a couple of cool day trips. I believe I have mentioned my Dutch friend, Diana. She is from a town about an hour and half away in the Netherlands. A few weeks ago, July 4th to be exact, I went home with her for the day. That very day the Tour de France was passing through her town, so after lunch, we biked to the site and watched them zoom by. It was cool to see that, and the parade that accompanied it was very fun and exciting. On the way back to her parents' house, we got stuck in a traffic jam of Dutch bike riders. That has never happened to me before. That day also happened to be a family birthday party for Diana's grandmother. After our biking excursion and an ice cream cone, we returned to her house to celebrate, which was also very fun. They did not speak much English, and I do not speak much Dutch, but we managed to communicate, and it was very enjoyable. It was cool to see the inside life of a Dutch family. The Netherlands was a cool country, and made for a fun day off.

Last weekend, Diana and I went to Bruges, an old medieval town permeated with canals and fascinating architecture. It was intriguing, exciting, and fun. We took a tour on the canals around the city, walked, explored, ate, and drank. The above picture is taken from the top of the bell tower, the Belfort. (It took me 366 steps to capture it for you guys.) As you can see, it is a beautiful town, and the perfect weather added to the delight.

The day to day life continues to be busy, draining, and full of lessons, as well as enjoyable and rich. I am finding out more and more what it means to deny myself, to put others' interests before mine, and to "let the love of Christ control me" (2 Cor. 5:14), realizing I can love Him only because He loved me first. So, in my effort to love Him, I have to first accept His love, which is unfailing and unending.

The end of my time here in Genval is drawing near, which stirs up mixed emotions in my soul. In my last couple weeks here, my desire is to serve Paul and Rebecca well, and embrace fully this time I have to be with them.

Brussels Sprouts Fun

Aaaand hello again...I apologize that it has been such a long sabbatical. Having been recently accused of being a blog-killer, I realized I must clear my name and write a little something to my faithful followers. So, here I write, sitting in my room with the window open where outside it is blue skies, 59 degrees, and light as noonday, although it is 9:00 at night. Impeccable. On another weather note, I noticed that in the above picture of the Grand' Place, there are blue skies as well as umbrellas. Another facet of Belgium: raining when it seems rainless.

Let it be known to all, I ate a waffle - from the streets of the bustling city of Brussels. It was good, I must admit. A few days ago I had a day off and finally made it into the city, accompanied by a girl from the UK who is here for the summer -- the daughter of one of the Petries' friends. She was great fun and knows the city well. I saw a few of the major sites (the Grand' Place guildhouses, Manneken Pis, Galeries St. Hubert), but that was mainly to fulfill my touristic duty. I mostly just enjoyed being there in the city -- the newness of it all, the people, the food, the abundant activity. It was good to get out of the house a bit and experience the capital of my summer habitation country. I know there is much more to see there and I plan on returning a few more times while I am here.

A few weeks ago, I went with a cool new Dutch friend of mine, Diana, to Waterloo. We spent a couple hours there, looked at different exhibits, and climbed the Butte du Lion (a 226-step mound built in honor of the men who died there) where we could see the whole battlefield. It was very cool to see in person where such a cardinal event took place, one I have learned about my whole life. I found myself there again this past Sunday when I went with the Petries to the 195th reenactment of the Battle of Waterloo. They put this on every 5 years, and hundreds of men and horses are involved. That was intriguing as well - to see all the different advancements of each of the nations and the men acting out the different events that determined the battle's outcome.

Meanwhile, on all the other days, life continues as normal. It is yet still wonderful getting to know the Petries and be a part of their life. The days are busy, but is definitely rewarding working with everyone here to make sure Rebecca is cared for. I have been here for a little over a month at this point - crazy how the time flies by. It has been an enjoyable, profitable time, and I am excited for what else is to come in the next 6 weeks.

As for the developments of my personage, these are the some of the latest thoughts I've been chewing on in my brain-mouth, and trying to work out in my life:

• Self-love cannot forgive the self-love it discovers in others. (Fenelon)


• He trains you to fulfill His noble plans amidst the petty annoyances and aggravations of life. (Fenelon)


• ...You cover the righteous man with favor as with a shield... Ps. 5:12


• Serving others helps us get to know Jesus better. It creates a commonality of experience that connects us with him. It is walking where he walked. (Paul Petrie himself)

I've also been learning a lot about steadfastness - what it is, what it looks like in life. It is being faithful to the faithful as well as the unfaithful, serving the grateful as well as the ungrateful. It is remaining the same - day in and day out, whatever circumstances come. And, it is only attained through trials (James 1). As I think of all of this, I realize I can't be steadfast unless I am rooted in Jesus, for He never changes. And so, into Him I am pushed, which is also good.

With the consumption of my weekend waffle, I have officially established the legitimacy of my blog title. Thank you for being interested in my wamblings.

New News and Old Olds

Bonjour! Eleven days in Belgium and all is well. At this point I am pretty comfortable being here with the Petries and knowing what is expected of me. As far as out of the house - that's a different story. It is always humbling being in a completely different culture and trying to function and communicate. I realize it would help tremendously if I knew the language, and decided it would be easier for me to learn French than for everyone in Genval to learn English. So I am going to pursue learning the language a bit more than I have been.

From here on out, my schedule is pretty much the same. I work everyday and have Tuesdays off. It hardly feels like I'm working though. It really is just being with Rebecca and taking care of her needs, and as I get to know her, it only gets better. Yesterday being Tuesday, I was off. I went to Chateau de la Hulpe, which is what the above picture is of. It is acres and acres of beeauutiiffull land and old, historical chateau (the castle looking thing) about a 10 minute bus ride from the house. As I walked through it I felt a little like I was in Narnia - it was all so gorgeous and peaceful. My feelings might have also been affected by the fact that I was reading one of the Chronicles of Narnia, but, nonetheless, it was magical. I hope to return there with a bike sometime so I can explore some more. It was good to get away and relax, read, and re-energize.

There is a lot happening and my days are often busy, and there is likewise a lot going on in my mind and heart. I'm learning practical things from Rebecca concerning gardening, birds, and cooking as she instructs me and I act as her hands. I am also continually impressed by her character and there are many traits from her it would behoove me to adopt. I am learning so much from Paul about European culture, politics, and history. I am learning what it means to be full of grace and to function in open relationship with people. I feel like the Father is opening my heart towards Him and teaching me about Himself and shedding light on things that are inside of me. It is good to have time to seek Him. I pray I use it wisely.

I am continuing to enjoy the Belgian delicacies, the beautiful weather, and the people. It is good to be here. I am grateful for the opportunity. I am trying to keep pressing in and not give into monotony or stagnancy. No, I have not yet had a waffle. Maybe next week.

Belgian Beginnings

Well, I think I'm European: tea with bread and jam for breakfast, cheese for lunch, afternoon tea time, and wine with every meal. I have now been here in Belgium for 4 days, and it has been good. This photo is of the view out the window right outside my bedroom. It is beautiful here. The Petries did an incredible job of welcoming me and helping me feel comfortable. And I overlapped a couple days with the previous caregiver, Mary Beth Kopechek, who I already knew, so that also tremendously helped with learning everything, and it has been good to be with her. Rebecca is a quadriplegic, and most of my role is being with her and caring for her. It is a lot to remember and a bit draining, but it is incredible to be with her and her husband, Paul, and get to know them. Rebecca is delightful. She is so gracious and appreciative, and very patient with me as I'm learning everything. We are already getting very close. I am amazed at her closeness to the Lord and how it enables her to embrace life and her situation positively. Her accident has completely changed her life and the life of her family, yet they have all adjusted and done what they need to to support eachother and continue on. It really is encouraging to be around people of such great faith. I'm excited that the Lord gave me the opportunity to build friendships like these.
I haven't gotten out of the house very much yet, as I'm still feeling things out and learning my position here. But from what I've seen, the town of Genval where they live, right outside of Brussels, is quite quaint and gorgeous. Over the course of my time here I will have time to get out and see a little bit more of Belgium.
I am grateful for everyone's prayers. I made it here safely and smoothly, and the transition has gone quite well and I believe a lot of it is because people have been praying.
I read this morning Psalm 16:2 " I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord, I have no good apart from you.'" And I feel like that is something I am learning to grasp, that He is my good. In the moments where I miss everyone at home, and it's hard, and I'm uncomfortable, I have to learn that He is enough; I have to know Him as "my only good." So, prayer would help in this area. Also that I would retain all the information involved in caring for Rebecca. And that God would help me be totally here, mind and heart, involved in these relationships.
This is just the beginning. I know there are good things to come.

Start

Well...this is just the start.